Railway-switch-operating mechanism



J. R. DUDLEY.

RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-8, 192l- Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

gwvenfoz JamesRDudley l. R. DUDLEY.

RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-8. L921.

1,397,408. 1 Patented N0v.15,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- JAMES R. DUDLEY, 0F BESSEIVIER, ALABAMA.

RAlTLWAY-SWITCH-OPERATING MEOI-IANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

racemes Nov.15, rear.

' Applicationfiled August 8, 1921. Serial No. 490,677.

' Eiwitch-Operating liiteehanism, of which the following i a specification.

My said invention relates to operating means for railway switches and gates, and to means carried by a locomotive or the like for operating said means to open or close a switch or gate. It is an object of my invention to provide operating mechanism which shall be under control of an approaching train and which shall automatically be reset to open the gate or switch after the train has passed by.

A further object of my invention is to pro vide a simple and effective trip on a train unit, such as a locomotive or the like, which trip shall be under the control of the engineer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gate which shall be self-locking in open or closed position.

Referring to the accompanying dra *ings which are made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is a side view of the locomotive with my improved trip positioned thereon,

Fig. 2 a plan of a portion of a railway track-and a switch adapted tobe operated by my improved controlling means,

Fig. 3, a similar view of a. railroad crossing and gates therefor, and

Fig. 4C a detail of the gate and its operating mechanism and Fig. 5 is a detail of trip 44 and related parts.

In the drawings 10 indicates a locomotive of any ordinary type having at its forward end brackets 11 in which are mounted vertically slidable bars 12 carrying at their lower ends segments 13 provided with vertically positioned rollers let projecting outward therefrom. The bars are adapted to.

be operated by bell cranks 15 to which are connected links 16 attached at their other ends to hand levers 17 in the cab of the engine. By operating a lever 17 the corre sponding segment 13 may be raised or lowered to operate the mechanism hereinafter described.

A railway 18 (Fig. 2) is provided with a switch 19 having a slidable switch bar 20. A bell crank 2i is attached at one end of the switch bar and a linlr22 connects this bell crank to a second bell crank 28 attached to one end of a sliding bar 2 Springs 25 normally hold the bar, and therefore the switch, in the position shown. If a passing locomotiveshould have its member 13 lowered this will engage the member 26 on bar 24. and throw the switch to its opposite position. The roller bearings 1e on member 13 prevent excessive friction due to contact between members 13 and 26.

The train having passed the switch is now on the track 27 and the segment 13 being left in lowered position will contact with another segment 28 and will restore the switch to the position shown in the drawings, in an obvious manner; Any desirable or conventional means may be used for hold ing the switch in the position to which it is moved, until one of the bars 24% and 29 is operated to change the position. If the switch is to be left in the opposite position from that shown in the drawings segment 13 will of course be raised as soon as it has operated the bar a Fig. 3 shows an adaptation of the same mechanism for. operating a pair of railway gates. In this figure 30 indicates a crossing over the track 31, whichcrossing may be barred by a gate 32. This gate is carried by a vertical shaft 3 The gate is mounted so as to slide vertically on the shaft to a limited extent and adjacent to said shaft is a segment 37 on which the gate rides, the segment having a low place near-each end. One of these low places corresponds to the open position of the gate and the other to the closed position and they form locking devices to hold the gate in open and closed positions by its own weight.

F or operating the gates T have provided bars 38 and 39 extending transversely of the 7 track each bar carrying a segment 40 and being held in place by springs 41. If a segment 13 on a train moving in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 3) strikes the left hand segment 40 the bar 38 will be moved to the right, actuating a bell crank 42 and a link 43 connecting the bell crank to a trip 44 beneath the gate, when in open position; This closes the gate which at the end of its travel rides over a lowered front arm of a second link 47 to swing another bell crank 48 and actuate the second trip 45. The end of this trip will-strike a violent blow against the rear of the adjacent arm of trip and thus return the gate to open position as in Fig. 3.

It will be obvious that a similar gate and operating devices may be provided at the other side of the track, and that gates at each side of the track may have common operating means with connections above or below the track. Similarly, the switch operating mechanism may be duplicated if so desired. Various changes may be made in my mechanism by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An operating mechanism for railway switches and gates comprising a bar movable transversely of the track, a segmental member fixed thereto, an oppositely facing segmental member carried by a locomotive and vertically positioned rollers on one of said segmental members, substantially as set forth. r

2. An operating mechanism for railway switches and signals comprising aseries of bars extending transversely of the track, a segmental member on each bar, an oppositely facing segmental member carried by a train unit and adapted to move said bars transversely of the track, connections from one of said bars to move a gate or switch in one direction when it is so moved, and connections from the other bar to the gate or switch for moving the same in the opposite direction, substantialy as set forth.

3. Ina railway switch operating mechahundred and twenty-one.

nism, a plurality of bars extendingtransversely of the track, one of said bars connected to the switch, a segment on another of said barsadapted to cooperate with a similar oppositely positioned segment on a train unit to move the bar, connections from the bar to move the switch to one position when so operated, a segment on another of said bars adapted to be operated by a similar opnism comprising a gate, a shaft providing a vertical pivot therefor, means for holding the gate in open or closed position, bars extending transversely of the track one of said bars being operable by an approaching train for automatically closing the gate and the other being operable by a passing-train for automatically opening it, substantially as set forth. 7

5. In a railway, a crossing mechanism comprising a gate, a shaft providing a vertical pivot therefor, means for holding the gate in open or closed position including trips to engage the free end of the gate, bars extending transversely of the track, connections through one of said bars to said trips whereby the gate may be opened, means on the bar adapted to be operated by an approaching train to actuate the*trip, a bell crank connected to the other bar, said bell crank being positioned to strike the other trip: and throw the gate into open position, and. means on the latter bar adapted for operation by a passing train, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have'hereunto set my hand and seal at Bessemer, Alabama, this 3rd day of August, A. D. nineteen JAMES R, DUDLEY. Li 5.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR L. REYNOLDS,

LEWIs N. CRUMPLER. w 

